Information Session on Geographical Indications
March 19, 2024 (Geneva, Switzerland) 15:00 - 18:00 Geneva time
Trademarks
What is a trademark?
A trademark is a sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one enterprise from those of other enterprises. Trademarks are protected by intellectual property rights.
At the national/regional level, trademark protection can be obtained through registration, by filing an application for registration with the national/regional trademark office and paying the required fees. At the international level, you have two options: either you can file a trademark application with the trademark office of each country in which you are seeking protection, or you can use WIPO’s Madrid System.
In principle, a trademark registration will confer an exclusive right to the use of the registered trademark. This implies that the trademark can be exclusively used by its owner, or licensed to another party for use in return for payment. Registration provides legal certainty and reinforces the position of the right holder, for example, in case of litigation.
The term of trademark registration can vary, but is usually ten years. It can be renewed indefinitely on payment of additional fees. Trademark rights are private rights and protection is enforced through court orders.
A word or a combination of words, letters, and numerals can perfectly constitute a trademark. But trademarks may also consist of drawings, symbols, three-dimensional features such as the shape and packaging of goods, non-visible signs such as sounds or fragrances, or color shades used as distinguishing features – the possibilities are almost limitless.
Featured
Collective Marks
Using a collective mark enables producers in rural areas to add value to their local products by working together.
Trademark topics and issues
From a trip to the shopping mall to an hour in front of the TV, we encounter trademarks at every turn. They are an indispensable tool in today's business world.
Tourism
Trademarks, including service marks, are particularly important in the globalized tourism sector and are key to its further development.
Marketing synergies
A successful marketing effort depends on trademark lawyers and marketers being on the same page.
Similar/identical trademarks
Where similar/identical trademarks exist, coexistence agreements can be a mutually-beneficial solution to the problem.
Trademark law, treaties and documents
The treaties WIPO administers, together with national and regional laws, make up the international legal framework for trademarks.
Trademark-related treaties administered by WIPO
Joint recommendations
These Joint Recommendations respond to trends and developments in international trademark law:
- Protection of Well-Known Marks
- Trademark Licenses
- Protection of Marks, and Other Industrial Property Rights in Signs, on the Internet
Reference documents
- Trademark Law and Practice – Summary of replies to questionnaire
- Representation of Non-Traditional Marks & Areas of Convergence
- Trademark Opposition Procedures – Areas of Convergence
- Grounds for Refusal of all Types of Marks
- Technical and Procedural Aspects Relating to the Registration of Certification and Collective Marks
- The Protection of Country Names Against Registration and Use as Trademarks
IP laws and treaties (WIPO Lex)
The WIPO Lex database is a comprehensive search tool that allows you to search international treaties and national laws on intellectual property.
Standing Committee (SCT)
The Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (SCT) is the forum where WIPO's member states discuss policy and legal issues relating to the international development of trademark law and standards.
Latest meetings
Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications: Forty-seventh session
March 18 to March 20, 2024 (Geneva, Switzerland) 10:00 - 18:00 Geneva time
Registering trademarks
The Madrid System — International trademark registration made easy
The Madrid system for the international registration of trademarks provides a single procedure for the registration of a mark in several territories. In a nutshell, you benefit from one application, in one language, paid in one currency.
Searching trademarks and other signs
Global Brand Database
Our Global Brand Database provides easy access to over 28 million records from multiple international and national sources, including marks registered through WIPO’s Madrid System. Use the database to search for trademarks, appellations of origin and official emblems.
Nice Classification — Streamlining searches
The Nice Classification is an international system used to classify goods and services for the purposes of the registration of marks.
Related services
The Lisbon System for geographically-unique products
From Champagne to Habanos cigars, the unique geographical characteristics of a product can be key for branding. The Lisbon System for the international registration of appellations of origin protects such products through a single registration.
Article 6ter and state emblems
Article 6ter is used to protect armorial bearings, flags and other state emblems of the states party to the Paris Convention.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center provides trademark owners with efficient international mechanisms to deal with disputes over Internet domain names corresponding to their trademark rights.